GARDEN 

.  VIETT  „ 


THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


NEW  RUBAIYAT 

FROM  A 

SOUTHERN  GARDEN 


NEW  RUBAIYAT 

FROM   A 

SOUTHERN  GARDEN 


BY 

GEORGE  FREDERIC  VIETT 


What  in  me  it  dark 

Illumine,  what  is  lonu  raise  and  support; 
That,  to  the  height  of  this  great  argument, 
I  may  assert  Eternal  Providence 
And  justify  the  ivays  of  God  to  men. 

—Milton. 


fork 

STURGIS  &  WALTON 

COMPANY 

1915 


Copyright,  1914, 
By  GEORGE  FREDERIC  VIETT 

Copyright,  1915, 
BY  STURGIS  &  WALTON  COMPANY 


First  Published  elsewhere.     Second  Edition  revised  and  augmented. 
Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published,  November,  1915. 


Dedicated  to 

The  Saintly  Sisterhood 

Faith,  Mercy,  and  Peace, 

In  Solemn  Protest  Against 

War  and  Its  Horrors 

Now  Desolating  the  Ancient 

Places  of  Civilization 

and  Christianity 


A.  D.  MCMXV 


"Haply  I  think  on  Thee, —  and  then  my  state 
Like  to  the  lark  at  break  of  day  arising 
(From  sullen  Earth)  sings  hymns  at  Heaven's  gate. 

—  Shakespeare. 

A  theme  which  will  be  deliberated  by  the  loftiest 
minds,  ages  after  you  and  I,  like  streaks  of  morning 
cloud,  shall  have  melted  into  the  infinite  azure  of 
the  past. 

-Prof.  John  Tyndall. 

A  Deity  believed,  is  joy  begun; 
A  Deity  adored,  is  joy  advanced; 
A  Deity  beloved,  is  joy  matured. 
Each  branch  of  piety  delight  inspires. 

—  Young. 

It  must  be  so,  Plato,  thou  reasonest  well!  — 
Else  whence  this  pleasing  hope,  this  fond  desire, 
This  longing  after  immortality? 

—  Addison. 


NEW  RUBAIYAT 

FROM  A 

SOUTHERN  GARDEN 


Still  seems  it  strange,  that  thou  shouldst  live  for 

ever? 

Is  it  less  strange,  that  thou  shouldst  live  at  all? 
THIS  is  a  miracle,  and  THAT  no  more. 

—  Young. 

Who    knows   but   life   be    that   which    men    call 
death,  and  death  what  men  call  life. 

—  Euripides. 

O    canst   thou,   my   Soul,   from   the   store   of   thy 

learning 

Bring  counsel  to   hallow   the  hopes  of  the  heart? 

—  Viett. 


NEW  RUBAIYAT 
FROM  A  SOUTHERN  GARDEN 


Hail  —  Saintly  Muse !     Awake  thine  Heav 
enly  Choir, 

Illume  my  Soul  with  thy  Divinelier  Fire  I 
Prompt  thou  a  Passion  that  may  urge  the 

strength 
Of  Pilgrims  searching  for  the  Heart's  Desire. 

II 

Man  and  his  Destiny  —  O  theme  Sublime 
For  one  that  views  the  Pageantry  of  Time ! 

Its  passion  and  its  pathos  and  its  pride, — 
I  crave  a  Seraph's  plume  to  pen  my  Rhyme  I 

i 


Rubaiyat  From 
in 

Awake  O  Soul  that  seeks  a  holier  Light 
Than  drives  the  Stars  from  off  the  Field  of 

Night! 

Behold  the  Rising  of  the  Sun  of  Faith  — 
The  hosts  of  Darkness  and  of  Doubt  to 

smite ! 

IV 

Come  fill  the  bowl  at  this  reviving  Stream, 
For  Life   is  brief,   and  Youth's  enchanting 

dream 

Is  but  the  Phantom  of  a  Glory  lost 
Adown  that  Vista  where  the  shadows  teem. 


Amid  the  Babble  and  the  Noise  outside, 
Methought  a  Voice  above  the  uproar  cried  — 
"  Come  to  the  Temple  where  the  True 

God  hears 

The  pleading  Soul,  and  throws  the  Portals 

wide." 

2 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


VI 

And  as  the  Sun  rose  some  that  stood  within 
The  Shadow,  shouted  — "  Tell  us  not  of 

Sin, 
Life  is  too  brief  to  waste  in  Litanies, 

Let  us  fare  forth  our  Wine  and  Joy  to  win." 

VII 

Before  the  shadows  of  the  last  were  sped, 
Another  Voice  from  out  the  Silence  said  — 
"  I  still  remain,  my  name  is  Blasphemy, 
I  will  abide  though  all  the  rest  be  fled  I  " 

VIII 

But    better    Voices    drowned    the    hateful 

sound  — 

"  At  least  You  shall  not  stay  on  Holy  ground, 
Brief  is  your  time  to  curse  the  pleasant 

Earth, 

And  in  this  Temple  you  shall  not  be  found !  " 

3 


New  Rubaiyat  From 


IX 

Far  from  the  noisy  Crowd  let  us  retire 
To  warm  our  Hearts  by  Spring's  enchanting 

Fire; 

Bring  thou  old  Khayyam's  Verse,  and  let 

us  seek 
With  him,  the  Pathway  to  the  Heart's  Desire. 

x 

For  we  be  Seekers  after  Truth  and  Light, 
And  'ere  the  Shadows  fall  to  dim  our  sight, 

We  must  determine  on  the  Way  and  Guide 
For  that  last  Journey  through  the  Vale  of 

Night. 

XI 

For  this  we  know,  that  Life,  so  dear  and 

sweet 

Ends  —  with  thy  Love  in  yonder  lone  retreat. 
Man  and  his  moil,  his  laughter  and  his 

tears, 

Are  as  the  hollow  sounds  of  Phantom  feet  — 
4 


A  Southern  Garden. 


XII 

That  patter  through  the  crumbling  Halls  of 

,  Time, 

Where  the  loud  Horologe  sounds  its  warning 

chime 

And  strikes  the  Hour  of  Doom,  to  bid  the 

Guests 
Fare  forth  into  the  bleak  Night's  alien  Clime. 

XIII 

Here  then  amid  the  Songster's  caroling, 
Where  blushing  Roses  rarest  incense  fling, 
Come  thou   to   worship,   and  let  Sorrow 

learn 
The  infinite  Compassion  of  the  Spring. 


•New  Rubaiyat  From 


XIV 

For  Spring  has  come:  the  light  of  Golden 

days 

Is   mellow   on   bright   fields   and   woodland 

ways; 

And  all  the  World  is  Beauty  newly  born, 
And    every   living   Thing   hymns    forth   its 

Praise, 
xv 

The  Garden's  glory  glows  to  Heav'n  again, 
For  gentle  floods  of  Sunshine  and  of  Rain 
Have  lured  the  Rose  its  blushing  folds  to 

spread, 

While  joyous  Songsters  sing  their  love  re 
frain. 

XVI 

You  cry, — "  It  nought  avails  that  Spring  is 

sweet, 

My  Love  lies  buried  here  beneath  our  feet, 
My  heart  lies  with  her  in  the  silent  Dust, 
Canst  thou   recall  Her  from  that  lone  re 
treat?" 
6 


A  Southern  Garden- 


XVII 

"  Erstwhile  we  roamed  amid  these  joyous 

Flowers, 

No  thought  of  Grief  had  we,  the  Golden 

Hours 

Sped  on,  for  Life  and  Love  were  by  my 

side; 

Canst  thou  recall  Them  to  these  haunted  bow 
ers!" 

XVIII 

'  The  Birds  lament,  their  song  is  full  of  pain, 
They    seem    to    cry  —  Will    She   not   come 

again? 

Is  this  gulf  Death  so  fathomless  and  wide 
That  thou  thy  Love  may  nevermore  regain!  " 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


XIX 

And  so  thou  canst  not  in  the  fire  of  Spring 
The  desolation  of  thy  sad  Heart  fling! 

Yet     May  —  rose-garlanded  —  cries     out 

"  Behold, 
Not  leaden  Death,  but  golden  Life  a-wing!  " 

xx 

I  sing  the  Resurrection,  and  my  Prayer 
Is  answered  by  the  green  Earth  everywhere; 
Decay  and  Death!     These  are  but  other 

names 
For  Change;  behold  It  in  this  Garden  fair! 

XXI 

See !  even  Here  thy  Love  is  glorified, 
Dost  thou  not  see  Death  and  the  Grave  de 
nied? 

This  very  Rose  that  smiles  above  her  Clay 
Is  part  of  Her,  for  Lo  — 'tis  Eastertide! 


8 


A  Southern  Garden- 


XXII 

So  let  her  rest  beneath  the  rose's  reign 
"  Among  the  guests  star-scattered  "  on  the 

plain; 

Her  dreaming   Dust  awakens  with   each 

Rose 

And  joys  to  glimpse  the  glad  sweet  World 

again, 
xxin 

A  Resurrection!     Aye,  ye  Cynical! 
The  simple  Sun  hath  wrought  this  Miracle, 
That   starry   Parent    of   the    Earth  —  he 

knows 
The  magic  touch  Life's  golden  Cup  to  fill! 


-New  Rubaiyat  From 


XXIV 

Come  now  with  Khayyam's  Book  and  let  us 

scan 
Its  sad  perplexities  of  Plot  and  Plan, 

The  Why  and  What,   the  Whence   and 

Where  of  Life 

That  thwart  and  fret  the  searching  Soul  of 

Man. 
xxv 

Beware  this  Persian  rhyme!     And  here  con 
fess 
We  pore  the  Page  but  for  its  loveliness, 

Holding  our  Faith  despite  the  siren  chant 
That  lures  to  Doubt  with  Melody's  caress. 

XXVI 

Enmeshed  in  measures  of  enchanted  Song, 
The  dazzling  numbers  lead  thy  Soul  along 
The  paths  of  Pleasure  and  the  ways  of 

Doubt, 

But  nowhere  minds  thee  of  the   Right  or 

Wrong. 
10 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


XXVII 

And  Reason  reels  into  the  artful  Snare, 
And  Hope  and  Faith  are  tangled  unaware 
Amid  the  spell  of  Passion's  plaints  —  that 

seem 
Like  Angel  anthems  raised  in  Holy  prayer. 

xxvin 

So  was  I  led,  my  better  Self  to  grieve, 

By  Sophistries  the-  Heart  would  fain  believe, 

But  soon  my  Soul  returned  a  Penitent 
And  cried  to  Heaven  —  pleading  —  for  re 
prieve. 

XXIX 

I  sought  for  Pleasure  and  I  found  but  Dust ! 
I  reached  Ambition  and  it  was  but  Dust  I 

I  saw  that  Glory  and  the  World's  acclaim 
Were  nought  but  Bubbles  lighting  on  the 

Dust! 


ii 


—  New  Rubaiyat  From 

XXX 

When  then  his  luring  Lines  you  pensive  read, 
Beware  the  Spell  that  would  thy  foot-steps 

lead 

Adown   the   paths  unblest   of   Faith   and 

Hope! 

Take  them  but  for  their  Beauty  —  not  their 

Creed. 

XXXI 

Let  Faith  unshaken  bear  the  searching  test; 
There  is  no  balm  in  Omar  for  the  breast 
Where   Life  burns  low.     When  Death's 

dark  ensigns  pall 
The  Creed  of  Passion  is  but  sorry  Jest. 

XXXII 

Yet  this,  old  Poet,  I  will  grant  to  thee  — 
That  thou  hast  sung  Fate's  sweetest  litany, 
And  on  the  brow  of  Love  hath  pressed  a 

wreath 

Of  Roses  rich  to  rarest  Melody. 
12 


A  Southern  Garden- 


XXXIII 

No  more  confounded  with  thy  Sophistry 
I  yield  my  raptured  heart  and  ear  to  thee, 

And  tread  the  mazes  of  thy  Garden  fair 
Mid  crimson  Roses  lost  in  ecstasy. 

xxxiv 

When  wearied  of  the  raucous  noisy  crew 
Of  Scribes  and  Rhymesters  that  obstruct  the 

View, 

I  turn  disdainful  of  their  insolence 
To  soothe  my  Spirit  with  thy  Music  true. 

xxxv 

Wherefore,   sweet   Singer,   at  thy   Shrine   I 

bend, 
And  to  the  music  of  thy  Song  ascend 

Above  the  din  of  voices  violent 
That  fret  my  Spirit  and  my  ears  offend. 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


XXXVI 

On  Beauty's  brow  thou  hast  a  Garland  bound, 
And  Love  by  thee  a  Deity  is  crowned 

To  haunting  melodies  that  move  the  soul 
Of  Sympathy,  with  concord  of  sweet  sound. 

XXXVII 

Thus  oft'  an  halcyon  hour  I've  spent  with 

Thee 
Wrapt  in  the  Spell,  lost  in  the  Mystery 

Of  Life  and  Death,  and  all  the  tangled 

Maze  — 

The  "  Why  "  and  "  How  "  of  Human  Des 
tiny. 

XXXVIII 

Ah,  yes,  I  know  my  Rubaiyat  full  well, 
Soul-soothing  melodies  that  banish  Hell 
But   leave   us   reft   of   Heaven,    and   the 

Soul  — 

The  very  Soul  affrighted  at  its  spell! 
14 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


XXXIX 

Yet  this  I  know  —  and  rest  my  Trust  upon  — 

The  old  World  rolls  beneath  the  kindly  Sun, 

And  God  is  Love,  and  Heaven  o'er  our 

heads, 

And  Conscience  tells  that  Heaven  must  be 

won. 

XL 

The  Clay  may  rear  its  vain  Philosophies, 
Life  cannot  answer  all  Life's  mysteries; 
The    angel   Death,    He    "  of   the    darker 

drink," 
'Tis  through  His  touch  alone  the  Spirit  sees. 

XLI 

What  thoughtful  Soul  may  view  unmoved  the 

pain 
Of  Human  hearts;  the  cruelty  of  Gain; 

The  Passion  and  the  Pathos  of  a  World 
Where  Innocence  and  Virtue  plead  in  vain, — 

15 


-New  Rubaiyat  From 


XLII 

And  not  discern  a  Refuge  in  the  Sky 
Whereto  the  outraged  Souls  of  Men  may 

fly- 

The  Scales  of  God  his  Love  and  Wrath  to 

weigh  — 
With  Retribution's  flaming  sword  nearby? 

XLIII 

Thus    much,    old   Omar,    I'll    not   yield   to 

thee  — 
I  will  nor  hail  nor  praise  thy  blasphemy; 

I  do  protest  —  by  Love's  Immortal  Soul 
Protest  —  the  Dust  is  not  my  Destiny ! 


16 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


XLIV 

Rejoice  O  Soul!     The  Light  that  Sinai  shed 
To  guide  the  Living,  sanctify  the  Dead, 

Is  mingled  with  Salvation's  beams  diffused 
From   Calvary's   crest  where   the  Anointed 

bled. 

XLV 

0  Thou  Great  Spirit  of  Eternity  1 

That  of  the  Starry  Clay  didst  fashion  me, 

Gave  me  this  Habitation,  and  this  Robe 
Of  Flesh,  to  veil  awhile  thy  Majesty  — 

XLVI 

Let  me  no  more  lament,  nor  Duty  shirk! 

1  am  a  Fragment  of  Thy  Handiwork, 
A  piece  that  fits  in  Thine  eternal  Plan 

Wherein  unmeasured  potency  may  lurk. 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


XLVII 

Nay !  tell  me  not  in  Discourse  or  in  Song  — 
From   Night  and   Chaos   came   the  Joyous 

Throng 

Of  Life,  and  Light,  and  Loveliness,  and  all 
These  Earthly  Kingdoms  that  to  them  be 
long. 

XLVIII 

Ye  worldly-Wise !     The  very  Grass  defies 
Your  Logic,  and  yon  airy  Songster  cries 
Unto  its  Love  — "  'Tis  Lies !     Believe  it 

not! 

We  hold  Truth's  mirror  to  their  blinded 

eyes !  " 

XLIX 

Nay !     Not  from  Chaos  or  the  barren  Night 
My  Spirit  rose,  but  with  the  Morning  Light 

It  came,  rejoicing  in  the  Smile  of  God 
Who  winged  it  then  for  its  Eternal  flight. 
18 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


Dare  ye  deny  that  unto  Some  was  given 
Answer    to    their    prayers,    when    in    some 

Vision  — 

Born  of  a  splendid  moment's  Ecstasy  — 
They  glimpsed  the  Secret  in  a  flash  from 

Heaven ! 
LI 

Deem  not  because  thou  dost  not  see  the  Light 

There  is  no  Light;  mayhap  'tis  lack  of  sight, 

Perchance  thou  treadest  some  dim  tangled 

track 

From  whence  thou  canst  not  read  the  Signs 

aright. 
LII 

What  petty  things  our  Vision  may  obscure! 
Because  thou  dost  not  see  be  not  too  sure 
There's  nought  to  see;  thy  biased  point  of 

view 
Or  cecity,  a  step  aside  may  cure : 

19 


Rubaiyat  From 

LIII 

Once  from  my  garden  path  a  Star  I  sought 
And  sought  in  vain,  and  stood  in  silent  doubt; 
One  pace  I  moved,  when  Lo,  the  prospect 

cleared  — 

There  beamed  the  World  a  leaf  had  blotted 

out! 


20 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


LIV 

Ye  that  with  Rule  and  Line  would  measure 

Him, 

And  with  your  Logic  bind  the  Seraphim, 
Whence  came  this  wondrous  Reason  that 

ye  urge 

To  prove  You  Nothing,  and  Faith's  light  to 

dim? 
LV 

If  Man  be  Nothing  and  his  Life  a  Dream, 
His  Reason  then  is  Nothing,  it  must  seem; 
And  Nothing,  then,  by  Nothing  thus  de 
fined 

Shows    Nothing    has    but    Nothing    for    its 

theme ! 
LVI 

If  thus  by  Logic  we  may  Nothing  be, 

Were  it  not  well  O  Friend  for  You  and  Me 

To  leave  old  barren  Reason  to  her  way, 
And  rise  with  Faith  to  some  Reality? 

21 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


LVII 

Amidst  the  Dust  of  this  dim  Shadow-Land, 
Bound  by  the  two  Eternities  I  stand, 

Myself  unto  Myself  a  Mystery, 
Seeking  all  Secret  things  to  understand. 

LVIII 

Like  phantom  Pilgrims  through  a  Vale  of 

Fears, 

We  journey  on  with  laughter  or  with  tears, 
Hope,  Faith,  and  Memory,  the  only  Lights 

To  guide  our  footsteps  through  the  dark'ning 

years. 

LIX 

Blest  Sisterhood  —  Faith,  Hope,  and  Mem 
ory ! 

Bright  Trinity  of  Life  —  it  is  through  Ye 
We  read  the  purpose  of  our  Earthly  way 
And  find  the  pathway  to  Felicity! 


22 


A  Southern  Garden- 


LX 

Hope,  Faith,  and  Charity,  Genius,  and  Love ! 

May  Chance  or  Reason  these  define  or  prove? 

And    wouldst    thou    bind    to    Dust    with 

Logic's  chain 
These  Saintly  Graces  winged  to  soar  Above ! 

LXI 

Preach  not  to  me  of  "  Reason's   crowning 

light!" 
'Tis  but  the  reflex  of  that  Deeper  Sight 

By  Inspiration  and  Emotion  given 
To  wing  the  Soul  for  its  Divinelier  flight. 

LXII 

Imagination  is  an  Attribute 

Of  Soul;  Ye  that  this  Truth  seek  to  confute, 

And  Fancy  to  the  sullen  Earth  confine, 
Give  for  her  Realm  a  sorry  substitute. 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


LXHI 

O   Death  —  dread   Minister   of  Time   and 

Space ! 

Beyond  these  confines  Thou  no  more  shalt 

trace 

And  claim  thy  subject  Clay.     Beyond  the 

Grave 
Is  Life  Eternal  by  the  Master's  grace. 

LXIV 

O  Life  —  upon  yon  myriad  Worlds  I  see 
Thy  bright  Light  beating,  full  and  far  and 

free, 

Before  which  shrinks  the  awful  Spectre, 

back 
To  its  one  Refuge  'neath  the  fateful  Tree  — 

LXV 

Of  Eden's  grove,  that  Sorrow-haunted  spot 
Where  Hell's  accursed  Trinity  the  Plot 
Devised;  perchance  the  self-same  Garden 

where 

Old  Omar  sought  the  Truth  —  and  found  it 

not. 
24 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


LXVI 

Let  Science  ridicule  and  Learning  flout, 
There  IS  some  Dark  Conspiracy  about  — 

Whose  utterings  and  mutterings  assail 
The  Soul  within,  and  work  a  Curse  without! 

LXVII 

"  Nature  is  God  and  all  the  Rest  absurd  " 
Ye  cry — "Seek  There  and  you  shall  find 

your  Lord !  " 

Yet  still  Ye  search  in  vain,  and  evermore 
Come  back  with  empty  hands  and  idle  word ! 

LXVIII 

I  sent  my  Soul  'mid  Nature's  shrines  to  seek 
Some  Answer,  but  the  Dumb  god  could  not 

speak 

Except  to  tell  of  Penalties  and  Pains, 
Of  cruel  sport  of  Strong  against  the  Weak. 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


LXIX 

She  gave  no  Sign  my  ardent  Heart  to  swell, 

In  all  her  Book  one  passage  could  I  spell  — 

No  more, — "  Who  worship  Me  their  god 

I  am, 
And  unto  them  I  am  or  Heaven  or  Hell." 

LXX 

Nor  yonder  Sky,  nor  Earth  from  Pole  to 

Pole 

Life's  Mystery  unveiled;  nor  Voice  nor  Goal 

Was  there ;  nor  Sign  nor  Answer  did  I  find ; 

The  Silence  heaped  its  vastness  on  my  Soul! 

LXXI 

Then  unto  Him  who  works  behind  her  Screen 
I  lifted  up  my  voice  —  O  Thou  Serene 

And  Mighty  One,  raise  me  from  Bondage 

dire, 

Grant  me  the  Vision  for  the  Things  Unseen ! 
26 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


LXXII 

I  sent  my  Soul  into  the  Night's  Abyss, 
Anon  my  Soul  returned  and  whispered  this  — 
"  The  Darkness  is  but  Shadow  of  the  Clay, 
Upon  the  screen  of  Life  a  Shade  it  is!  " 

LXXIII 

Keen  in  the  Quest,  on  Hope's  bright  mission 

bent, 

Amid  the  Starry  hosts  my  rapt'  Soul  went, 
And  this  the  Message,  it  brought  back  to 

Earth  — 
Doubt  is  Within,  Without  all  is  Content ! 

LXXIV 

Or  where  old  Saturn  rolls  his  Circled  orb, 
Or  where  the  Pleiades  in  splendor  throb, 

The  Universal  Anthem  ever  told  — 
God  is  the  Soul,  Creation  is  His  Robe  I 


27 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


LXXV 

"  Monstrous  Conceit!  "  I  cried,  "  that  Man 

should  trust 

And  urge  his   Reason  to   the   *  Why '   and 

1  Must,' 

Deeming  the  Wisdom  of  the  Universe 
Confined  upon  his  whirling  Speck  of  Dust." 

LXXVI 

O   Sophist  —  that  with  sullen  Heart   doth 

flout 

The  Prophets,  and  the  Prayers  of  the  De 
vout 

'Tis  Thou  perversely  Blind  that  wilt  not 

see 

The  Spirit-Light  that  sheds  its  beams  with 
out. 
LXXVII 

May  Reason  measure  all  the  Mighty  Things 
And  portion  them  to  petty  Questionings  ? 

Go  Scorner  first,  and  in  thy  Wisdom  find 
The  Secret  of  the  Bird  that  yonder  sings! 
28 


A  Southern  Garden- 


LXXVIII 

O  Nobler  far,  an  Universe  wherein 
The  Soul  may  soar  forever  questioning, 

Forever  mounting  to  the  One  True  Light 
That  single  burns  through  all  the  clouds  of 

Sin. 


29 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


LXXIX 

Though  strange  perplexities  enwrap  my  Lot, 
And  weak  my  Vision  to  divine  the  Plot, 
Thus  much  is  clear — "Where  Death  is 

I  am  Not," 

And  clearer  still — "Where  I  am  Death  is 

Not." 

LXXX 

I  lived  Before,  yet  know  not  how,  or  where ; 
Dim  intimations  come,  and  Visions  fair 

Of  purest  Presences,  and  pleasant  plains, 
And  halcyon  joys  in  which  I  had  a  share : 

LXXXI 

Herein,  methinks,  "  Reincarnation  "  holds 
Clue  to  the  Secret  that  nought  else  unfolds  — 
That  Spirits  pass  and  choose  their  heaven 

or  hells 
Through  myriad  forms  that  mundane  Nature 

moulds. 

30 


A  Southern  Garden- 


LXXXII 

Out  of  the  Past  we  came  —  my  Love  and  I, 
Stamped  with  the  seal  of  Immortality, 

And  ever  purer,  stronger,  we  shall  grow; 
For  that  which  Ever  Was  will  Never  Die ! 

LXXXIII 

Past,  Present,  Future  —  solemn  Trinity, 
Enfolds  the  measure  of  our  Destiny! 

Death  is  but  passing  through  the  Shadows 

deep 
That  guard  the  secrets  of  Divinity. 

LXXXIV 

Out  of  the  Past's  Eternity  we  came, 
In  that  Maternal  bosom  burned  the  Flame 
Of  Life,  that  burst  at  last  to  Conscious 
ness; 
And  She  will  not  deny  her  offspring's  claim. 


•.New  Rubaiyat  From 


LXXXV 

Immortal  there  —  I  must  Immortal  be, 
All  of  the  mighty  Past  finds  Life  in  me  ; 

And  not  until  they  shall  blot  out  what  Was 
Shall  they  deny  me  Immortality ! 

LXXXVI 

With  Christ  and  Plato  thus  I  do  confess 
The  Faith  that  holds  the  anodyne  to  Bless: 

Eternal  Life  is  mine  by  God's  decree  — 
Here,  Now,  I  feel  the  Infinite  caress ! 

LXXXVII 

Ere  thou  shalt  name  my  Hope  a  phantasy, 

Ere  thou  canst  claim  my  Creed  but  ecstasy, 

Ere  thou  durst  vow  no  God  to  hear  my 

prayer 
And  this  brief  Life  the  sole  Reality — ; 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


LXXXVIII 

Search  first  the  myriad  Worlds  in  yon  Abyss 
And  find  no  spot  secure  to  Faith  and  Bliss, 
And  bringing  back  nor  Hope  nor  ray  of 

Light, 

Still  would  I  cry  — "  Here,  in  my  Soul,  IT 

IS!" 


33 


•New  Rubaiyat  From 


LXXXIX 

From  old  Deceits  and  newer  Heresies, 
From   dismal   Doubts   and  brazen   Blasphe 
mies, 

From  impious  Pedant  and  Philosopher 
Distorting  Truth  with  learned  Sophistries  — 

xc 

Good  Lord  deliver  us!     That  we  may  view 

But  That  which  is  Thine  Own,  and  ever  True ; 

And  with  confusion  smite  the  God-less  band 

That  bring  pollution  to  the  Shrine  of  You ! 

xci 

Disdainful    Pedants  —  with    your    pride    of 

Mind- 

That  all  Man's  questionings  to  Logic  bind, 

What  Tidings  bring  ye  of  the  Outer  Way? 

And  what  avails  it  all  when  Dust-consigned ! 


34 


A  Southern  Garden- 


xcn 

O  Ye,  of  sullen  Heart  and  cold  disdain, 
That  mock  at  Faith  and  seek  to  make  it  plain 
Hope's  but  a  phantom  —  Why !  the  Soul 

protests 

The  Hand  that  fashioned  It  wrought  not  in 

vain! 

XCIII 

My    Spirit  —  Passion-plumed  —  It    mounts 

and  soars, 

And   spurns   your   Prison   bars    and   bolted 

doors ; 

Reason  is  but  Earth's  summit  whence  It 

wings 
Its  higher  Flight  a-search  for  nobler  Shores ! 

xciv 

Upon  the  wakened  wonder  of  my  Soul 
The  deeper  Harmonies  of  Nature  roll, 

Earth,  Sea  and  Sky  in  melody  proclaim 
With  equal  voice  —  the  Living  God's  control. 

35 


Rubaiyat  From 
xcv 

This  Heav'nly  Hope  deep  in  my  Heart,  it 

tells 
What  all  thy  Dusty  Logic  vainly  spells 

Of    Truth.     Not    purposeless    and    false 

'twas  set, 
And  not  in  vain  within  the  Soul  it  dwells. 

xcvi 

I  know  but  little,  but  this  much  I  know  — 
That  Death,  which  gathers  all  things  here 

below, 

Is  but  a  Means  unto  some  viewless  End; 
By  Nature's  Law,  and  Faith,  that  much  I 

know  I 

xcvn 

Indeed  I  have  in  raptured  moments  caught 
Flashes  of  Truth  by  Reason  vainly  sought, 

The  momentary  parting  of  the  Veil 
Revealed  that  which  no  Logic  ever  taught. 
36 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


XCVIII 

And  in  such  instant  did  my  Spirit  seem 
To  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  Eternal  Scheme 
Wherein  the  Past  and  Future  merged  in 

One 
Reality,  and  Earth  was  but  a  Dream ! 

XCIX 

There,  in  the  radiance  of  Cosmic  Soul, 
The  Past  and  Future  seemed  a  Perfect  Whole 
Wherein  the  Hosts  departed  and  to  Come 
Their  Being  held  beyond  old  Time's  control. 

c 

And  even  as  I  gazed,  from  out  that  Sphere 
A  Spirit  strayed,  and  straightway  in  the  Snare 
Of  Time  was  caught,  to  languish  and  to 

dream 
Until  the  Master  shall  recall  it  There. 


37 


=New  Rubaiyat  From 
ci 

Can  all  these  wondrous  Intimations  be 
But  phantoms  of  a  Poet's  ecstasy? 

Begone  —  dark     Prophet!     Thought     is 

creative, 
Soul  is  the  Ultimate  Reality! 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


en 

For  I  remember  once  by  Karnak's  pile, 
Amid  the  shadows  of  its  columned  Aisle, 

I  wept  the  waste  to  see,  and  wept  for  those 
Who   reared  this   sculptured   Glory   of  the 

Nile; 
cm 

Afar  a  Figure  seemed  to  beckon  me  — 
A  gentle  goddess  lost  in  Reverie 

Of  old  Remembrances,  her  eyes  adream 
Seemed  meditating  on  Eternity. 

civ 

And  through  those  eyes  I  saw  the  Pageant 

wend  — 

Kings  upon  Kings,  and  Pilgrims  without  end, 
The  Pomp  and  Power,  and  the  Weal  and 

Woe 
Of  countless  Millions,  in  the  prospect  blend! 


39 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


cv 

I  cried  aloud  —  O  thou  Divinity ! 
Whence  came  that  smile  of  sweet  serenity 
That  beamed   on   Pharaoh   as   upon   me 

Now  — 
Did  Mortal  give  thee  Immortality? 

cvi 

Hast  thou  then  gained  what  thy  Designer 

sought 

In    vain?     A    Soul!     Which    he    divinely 

wrought 

To  give  thee  immortality  Below ! 
Did  Genius  fashion  this  and  pass  to  Nought ! 

cvn 

Is't  all  but  Dreams  and  Dust,  and  Destiny 
At  random  venture  and  wild  revelry? 

Locked  in  the  Star-Dust  when  no  Mind 

there  was, 

Till  Chance  —  the  Wizard  —  found  the  fatal 

Key! 
40 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


cvm 

If  Chance  unto  the  Void  Life's  mandate  flung, 
Creation  trembling  on  the  Balance  hung, 
And  in  that  Hazard  there  was  cast  my 

Soul, 

And    there    from    Nothing    my    Existence 

wrung! 
cix 

If  Fate  be  Chance  and  Destiny  its  Game, 
And  forth  from  Senseless  Nothing  leapt  the 

Flame 

Of  Life;  —  e'en  so,  Beloved,  may  not  this 

Chance 
Repeat  the  Process,  and  thy  Presence  claim  — 

ex 

Once  more,  in  some  New  Universe  To  Be 
That  waits  its  sure  and  wondrous  Destiny, 
Where   Time   and   Chance   shall   set   the 

Scene  again 
And  to  the  Drama  summon  You  and  Me. 


Rubaiyat  From 

CXI 

And  thus  may  every  Combination  set 
Be  set  again,  in  the  Eternal  fret 
And  moil  of  Matter  in  Infinity! 
Once  caught,  why  not  again  —  in  Chance's 

net? 


42 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


cxn 

They  say  Old  Time  both  Thee  and  Me  will 

sweep 
Into  Oblivion's  abyss  —  dark  and  deep  - 

To  everlasting  Bondage !     Sorry  jest  — 
While  one  lone  Star  its  Vigil  still  shall  keep ! 

CXIII 

Behold  the  Stars !     And  in  their  Glory  drown 
Doubt  and  Despair,  and  all  the  Brood  that 

frown 

On  Faith;  let  Exultation  rise  supreme 
And  read  a  Promise  not  to  Logic  known. 

cxiv 

I  sometimes  think  these  Stars  above  my  head 

Are  blest  Abodes  of  the  unnumbered  Dead 

That  wend  their  Heav'nward  way  from 

Sphere  to  Sphere, 
And  find  in  each  a  Paradise  to  tread. 


43 


Rubaiyat  From 
cxv 

Yon  mystic  Moon  the  Secret  might  disclose, 
Perchance   doth   signal   down  her  beams  — 

who  knows? 

I  dreamed  she  was  a  Pilgrim  resting-place 
Where  erstwhile  Earthly  Guests  take  brief 

repose 
cxvi 

On  their  long  Journey.     Be  this  then  the  Spell 
That  moves  in  us  the  thoughts  tongue  may 

not  tell? 

Is  it  that  loved  Friends  send  Peace  mes 
sages 
From  yon  fair  Moon  —  our  Mutiny  to  quell? 

CXVII 

These  myriad  Worlds,  so  wondrous  to  the 

view, 

May  not  One  hold  to  our  sad  Search  the 

clue? 

May  not  there  be  in  this  Immensity 
Some  Garden  where  Earth's  fairest  Dreams 

come  True? 
44 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CXVIII 

Would'st  thou  then  find  thy  lost  Love  —  seek 

her  There; 

Mayhap  thou'lt  meet  her  waiting  for  thee, 

where 

Some  statelier  Sun  illumes  a  nobler  World 
Of  Beings  radiant  and  surpassing  fair. 

CXIX 

And  though  no  Door  responds  to  Reason's 

key, 
Who  is  it  dares  to  say  what  "  Cannot  Be," 

Or  swears  a  single  Hope  impossible 
In  the  vast  Chances  of  Eternity! 


45 


=Ne<w  Rubaiyat  From 
cxx 

This  Universe  —  this  One  stupendous  Whole 
Of  mighty  Systems  that  in  splendor  roll, 

Who  dare  deny  in  all  this  Heav'nly  space 
One  little  Spot  of  Refuge  for  the  Soul! 

CXXI 

For  it  is  bound  to  us  —  yon  Milky  Way, 
By  Cosmic  Law  and  kinship  of  the  Clay; 

He  that  apportioned  It  of  Life  and  Light 
Will  not  consign  my  Being  to  decay. 

cxxn 

And  He  that  set  this  mighty  Arch  of  Light, 

And  winged  its  Systems  for  harmonious  flight, 

And     sempiternal     placed     each     Atom 

there  — 
Will  not  consign  my  Soul  to  endless  Night. 


46 


A  Southern  Garden- 


CXXIII 

Where  has  old  Omar  gone  —  dost  thou  in 
quire? 

List  then  the  chorus  of  the  Cosmic  Choir  — 

The  roar  of  Suns,  the  melody  of  Moons, — 

That  fills  the  Pathway  to  his  Heart's  Desire  1 


47 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CXXIV 

Life's  meaning!     Hast  thou  not  read  it  — 

why  then 

Thou  hast  not  lived!     These  multitudes  of 

Men 

That  went  Before,  they  left  the  Record 

clear  — 

That   Clay   is   of   the   Earth,    the   Soul   of 

Heav'n. 
cxxv 

They  Came  and  Went;  veiled  in  the  Flesh 

they  came, 

Their  Bodies  of  the  Dust  were  made;  that 

same 

Dumb  Dust,  that  Starry,  Deathless  Dust, 

not  less 
Than  when  they  gave  it  meaning  and  a  Name. 

CXXVI 

And  if  on  Dust  thou  callest  to  explain, 
Methinks  the  Dust  might  give  the  Answer 

plain  — 

"  I  am  nor  more  nor  less  than  what  I  am, 
As  Spirit  finds  and  leaves  me  I  remain." 
48 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CXXVII 

Man's  Prayers,   and  Miracles,  You  do  de 
cry  — 
"  For  in  the  face  of  Nature's  Laws  they  fly !  " 

Yet  dare  you  say  the  Maker  of  the  Law 
May  not  His  Law  suspend?     Then  tell  me 

why? 

CXXVIII 

11  Nature  is  just,"  you  vow,  "  Her  Scales  are 

fair, 
Her  balance  gives  to  This  or  That  its  share, 

And  with  undeviating  Equity 
Rules  Sea  and  dew-drop,  mote  and  Starry 

sphere." 

CXXIX 

Ah!  but  her  Scales  were  not  for  Souls  de 
signed 

But  for  Her  own  —  Her  Matter  dumb  and 

blind ;  — 

Her  Laws,  unless  by  Deity  devised 
Mock  at  the  Soul  and  flout  the  ardent  Mind  I 
49 


•New  Rubaiyat  From 


cxxx 

No  Hell,  they  cry,  "  save  what  exists  in  fear." 

Be  still  my  Heart,  the  Secret  draweth  near! 

Find  them  a  Hell  they'll  grant  to  us  a 

Heaven; 
Behold  O  Doubter,  Lo  —  thy  Hell  is  Here ! 

cxxxi 

"  A  Myth,"  ye  say,  "  our  happiness  to  quell, 
We  ask  no  Heaven  and  we  fear  no  Hell !  " 
Yet  shall  You  not  escape,  for  IT  is  HERE ! 
And  'ere  thou  goest  thou  shalt  know  it  well. 

CXXXII 

Scan  the  dark  Record  that  the  Ages  yield 
Of  Pride,  and  Lust,  and  sanguinary  field; 

Of  Martyrdom,  and  Torture,  and  Despair, 
And  gaping  Wounds  that  Time  has  never 

healed. 


A  Southern  Garden. 


CXXXIII 

O  Earth  —  Step-Mother  of  the  harsh  con 
trol! 

Remorseless  takest  thou  thy  grievous  Toll 

Of  Tears  and  Travail  for  the  meagre  fare 

Thou  givest  thine  adopted  Child  —  the  Soul. 

cxxxiv 

Merciless  Mother  of  the  Flood  and  Flame ! 
What  anguished  Multitudes  have  cursed  thy 

Name, 

As  seared  and  crushed  by  thy  relentless 

hand 

They  felt  thy  Rage  —  that  knows  nor  truce 

nor  shame; 

cxxxv 

See !     In  thy  bosom  Nero  —  there  at  rest 
Amid  his  victims,  and  thine  equal  guest! 

There  lie  they  all  —  or  Monster  or  a  Saint, 
Adream  in  dusty  Peace;  O  dreadful  Jest! 


.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CXXXVI 

O  cold  and  bitter  Step-Mother  1     We  sue 
That  Higher  Court  above  thy  Vault  of  Blue ! 
From  thy  Blind  judgment  we  appeal  our 

Case 
And  plead  the  Court  of  Souls  for  its  review. 

CXXXVII 

Yet  not  unmindful  of  thy  Favors  shown 
Is  he  who  pens  the  Writ,  for  he  hath  known 
Thy  Joys.     Yet  not  for  thy  Vast  cruelty 
May  all  thy  Glories  and  thy  Gifts  atone. 

CXXXVIII 

Dark  is  the  Record  in  thy  Bosom  pent 
O  Earth !     Much  didst  thou  promise  of  Con 
tent, 

But  Dust  was  all  thou  gavest  in  the  End  — 
Dust  for  the  Vile,  Dust  for  the  Innocent! 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


cxxxix 

Me  and  my  Love,  yon  Bird  upon  the  bough, 
Between  thy  Stony  heart  and  Starry  brow 
To  Dust  thou'lt  grind  Us,  as  thou  grindest 

all! 
We  know  thy  Treachery,  alas  —  we  Know ! 

CXL 

Yet  there  be  Two  thy  grinding  may  not  wear, 
For  Sleep  and  Death  are  ever  Young  and 

Fair, 

The  Healer  and  Restorer  of  thy  work 
Formed  of  no  Flesh  thy  cruel  fangs  may  tear. 

CXLI 

Soft  Flesh !  poor  Servant  of  this  Soul  of  mine, 

Born  of  the  Earth  yet  more  than  half  Divine, 

Prey  of  relentless  Powers  —  fanged  and 

clawed  — 
That  ambush  and  conspire  with  harsh  design; 


53 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CXLII 


Fashioned  so  frail  yet  fast  in  fell  control 
Of  crushing  Forces  that  exact  their  Toll ; 

Ill-shod  to  mount  the  adamantine  Heights 
That  bar  the  Spirit's  vision  of  its  Goal. 


54 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CXLIII 

Upon  Life's  Mount  we  stand,  yet  still  they 

rise  — 

The  Hills  of  Hope  that  tower  to  the  Skies, 
And  though  their  Summits  here  we  may 

not  see, 
We  shall  behold  them  with  Immortal  eyes ! 

CXLIV 

Blest  Thanatos  —  Restorer  of  the  Soul, 
Not  over  Thee  Time's  Juggernaut  doth  roll ! 

Like  to  thy  sister  Sleep  —  thy  Ministry 
Is  all  Divine,  and  not  of  Time's  control. 

CXLV 

These  bonds  of  Flesh  that  bind  thee  here  be 
low, 

They  shall  be  sundered,  that  thy  Soul  may 

grow 

Unto  that  compass  by  its  God  designed; 
And  not  till  then  shalt  thou  the  Secret  know. 
55 


•.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CXLVI 

What  is  Man's  Wisdom  'mid  these  Mysteries 
Of  Causes  bent  to  unknown  Purposes? 
Some  Rules  and  Tables  scratched  upon  a 

Leaf 
Of  Time,  flung  on  a  Ball  of  Dirt  —  it  is  I 

CXLVII 

A  little  Knowledge  gathered  by  his  Tribe 
For  boastful  Argument  or  Diatribe, 

An  Infant's  babble  of  its  treasured  toys  — 
Flaunted  with   pompous   mien  by  Fool   or 

Scribe. 

CXLVIII 

What  is  it  all  but  the  moil  of  a  Mite 
'Mid  Mountains  to  move?     And  what  is  the 

Sight 

Of  a  Worm  of  the   Ground  that  gazes 

around 

And  sees  not  the  Day  —  and  knows  but  the 

Night? 
56 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CXLIX 

This  Clay,  this  Dust,  this  Matter  dumb  and 

blind  — 

'Tis  the  Soul's  dream,  the  pageantry  of  Mind ! 
Else  were  it  Cause  and  Consequence  —  the 

same, 
A  Frankenstein  self-shaped  and  self-designed ! 

CL 

Why !  if  this  Matter  be  thus  marvelous, 
And  potent  to  beget  this  ALL  of  us  — 
Then  surely  there's  no  limit  to  its  gift 
And  I  shall  claim  of  It  a  Soul  for  us ! 

CLI 

TO-DAY  and  YESTERDAY  mark  Time's 

decay 

Whereof  the   Soul  knows   not;   THAT  is 

alway 

Nor  more  nor  less  than  what  it  Was  and 

Is; 

TO-MORROW  is  but  part  of  Its  TO-DAY. 
57 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CLII 

For  if  Man  hath  no  Soul  what  then  is  He 
More  than  his  corpse?     O  solemn  Mystery! 
All  that  was  There  before  it  Here  remains ; 
And  what  then  was  that  Conscious  Entity  ? 

CLIII 

Ask  not  the  Winds  that  o'er  the  Meadows 

pass, 

Ask  not  the  Rain,  the  Sunshine,  or  the  Grass, 
These  heed  no  Question  and  no  Answer 

give; 

Your  Earth  is  iron  and  your  Sky  is  brass ! 

CLIV 

This    marble    Image    prone  —  this    lifeless 

.Clay  — 

Whither  the  Tenant  that  has  passed  away? 
The  Soul  that  beamed  from  out  those  glassy 

eyes  — 

'Tis  clear  That  has  no  share  in  this  decay: 
58 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CLV 

Two-fold  was  this  Being;  give  Earth  its  own, 

But  claim  not  for  the  Dust  that  Spirit  flown, 

For  IT  has  fled  to  sweep  with  tireless  wing 

The    Morning   Skies   that    circle    Heaven's 

Throne. 

CLVI 

If  Past  and  Future,  Now,  is  Nought, —  you 

say  — 

Than  He  that  passed  but  this  late  Hour  away, 

Not  less  than  one  Unborn  is  He,  not  more 

Than  Him  lost  in  a  Thousand  Years'  decay ! 

CLVII 

But  if  you  still  persist  they  Both  are  Nought, 
Then    is    your    Wisdom    bare,    and    dearly 

bought, 

For  if  your  All  be  Now  —  a  Moment's 

span  — 

Vain    is    the    knowledge    by    your    cunning 

caught : 
59 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CLVIII 

Take    Nought    from    Nothing  —  what   will 

there  remain? 
Add  Nought  to  Nothing  —  what  is  then  your 


gain? 

Recount,  divide  or  multiply  your  Sum  — 
The  task  in  Nothing  ends ;  'tis  all  in  vain ! 

CLIX 

For  HAS  BEEN  minus  NEVER  plus  TO 

BE 
Totals  ycur  NOW,  itself  illusory; 

A  grim  Phantasmagoria  of  Time 
That  sums  the  measure  of  absurdity. 

CLX 

Nor  deem  because  by  Logic's  aid  I  press 
The  Argument,  its  force  is  then  the  less, 

Tell  first  what  prompted  Reason  to  the  task 
Ere  ye  pronounce  my  Creed  an  empty  guess. 


60 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CLXI 

But  should  Annihilation  end  the  View, 
What  is  there  then  —  forsooth  —  for  Me  to 

rue? 

Nor  shall  your  after  Mockery  offend  — 
But  how  with  You  if  all  of  It  be  True! 

CLXII 

Nor  will  I  seek  in  Wine  false  strength  to 

brave 

My  fate,  playing  the  part  of  fool  or  knave; 
I    shall  go   clean   and   clear-eyed   to   the 

end  — 
I  shall  go  chaste  and  sober  to  my  Grave. 


61 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CLXIII 

Some  for  a  Paradise  on  earth  contend, 
And  some  there  are  who  will  no  credit  lend 
To  earthly  Paradise,  or  Heav'n,  or  Hell, 
And  stumble  blindly  to  their  hopeless  end. 

CLXIV 

O  Scorner  —  make  the  most  o'f  thy  short  stay, 
The  Ground  is  gaping  for  its  kindred  Clay! 
Let  Faith  and  Hope  and  Charity  be  Ours, 
The  glorious  Hazard,  THAT  is  Mine  To 
day! 

CLXV 

Thus  am  I  better  fortified  to  strive 
Than  You  with  all  that  Logic  can  contrive, 
All  that  is  yours  I  have,  with  More,  to  give 
Me  strength  in  Death,  and  larger  Hope  in 

Life. 


62 


A  Southern  Garden. 


CLXVI 

What  doth  your  Learning  and  its  quest  reveal 

Of  Fate's  grim  Mystery  of  Woe  and  Weal? 

The    Heart's    devotion    sheds    a    clearer 

Light! 
Tis  well  to  Know,  but  better  still  to  Feel. 

CLXVII 

The  Heart  moves  on  when  Sense  is  lost  in 

Sleep, 

Oft   leaps   exultant  where   the    Mind   must 

creep  — 

Oft  beats  in  protest  at  sad  Reason's  doubts ; 
Firmer  the  Bridge  it  casts  athwart  the  Deep. 

CLXVIII 

Let  Faith  and  Hope  their  sacred  Signs  invent ! 
I'd  rather  yield  them  all  my  Soul's  assent 
Than  hold  that  monstrous  creed  —  a  God 
less  world 
And  Human  creatures  on  no  Mission  bent. 

63 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CLXIX 

Ye  of  the  cursed  creed  of  "  Might  is  Right," 
Ye   may   too   late    discern   that    "  Right   is 

Might," 

Finding  Hell's  legions  stronger  than  thine 

own, 

And    Angels    mightier    still    with    Virtue's 

might. 
CLXX 

With  "  Might  is  Right  "  your  impious  battle- 
cry 

Ye  press  and  smite,  and  God  and  man  defy; 

So  may  ye  learn  the  blasting  might  of  Hell, 

And  power  of  Heav'n,  that  creed  to  satisfy! 

CLXXI 

There  is  below  no  Monster  more  accurst 
Than  thou  —  that  canst  from  hunger  cold 

and  thirst 

Withhold  the  coin  that  might  the  pang  as 
suage, 

And  live  the  best  while  smiling  on  the  worst. 
64 


A  Southern  Garden- 


CLXXII 

O  thou  that  gatherest  the  Golden  hoard 
By  brutal  might,  by  trickery  or  fraud, 
What  wilt  thou  purchase  with  thy  riches, 

Friend? 
In  what  Eternal  Bank  is  it  all  stored? 

CLXXIII 

Think  you  to  revel  at  the  Feast  of  Life 
Unmindful  of  the  want  and  anguish  rife 
Without  thy  gates,  nor  pay  the  Reckon 
ing — 
Nor  bear  thy  portion  in  the  grievous  strife ! 

CLXXIV 

Ah  —  yours  the  cursed  heart  that  can  deny 
The  widow's  portion  or  the  orphan's  cry  — 

Decline  a  pittance  to  a  dire  distress 
And  look  on  Sorrow  with  a  steely  eye  I 


•.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CLXXV 

Feast  well  thy  Gluttony  at  board  and  mart, 

For  thou  ere  long  will  of  the  Dust  be  part, 

And  Earth  will  lighten  and  Hell  groan 

with  joy 

When  Death  shall  frown  and  still  thy  Miser 

heart. 
CLXXVI 

This  Worldly  Trust  you  set  your  soul  upon  — 
It  shall  breed  reptile  Horrors,  and  anon, 
The    Harvest   you    shall   gather   will   be 

swarms 

To  fang  Death's  barb,  when  Life's  brief  day 

is  done ! 
CLXXVII 

For  me  —  I  give  my  mite,  and  giving,  grieve 
My  poverty,  that  has  not  more  to  give; 

Holding  no  privilege  more  blest  than  that 
Which  can  a  fellow-creature's  need  relieve. 


66 


A  Southern  Garden- 


CLXXVIII 


For  Love,  and  Mercy,  Rapture,  Charity, 
Are  tokens  of  the  Soul's  Divinity, 

Above  the  Mind's  analysis  they  stand 
Beacons  of  Faith  and  Immortality! 


CLXXIX 

But  if  in  moments  of  despair  and  trial 
You  cannot  with  God's  Mercy  reconcile  — 
The  Tragedies  and  Horrors  of  the  Earth 
That  seem  to  banish  Providence,  the  while; 

CLXXX 

So  that  thy  Heart  is  torn,  thy  Soul  dismayed 
At  the  grim  pageantry  of  Sin  arrayed  — 
The  monstrous   Mournfulness  of  all  the 

Past 
With  its  red  Record,  and  old  Debts  unpaid; 


..New  Rubalyat  From 


CLXXXI 

At  Virtue  crushed  and  Vice  victorious, 
At  Blasphemers  about,  contemptuous 

Of  all  the  Sacred  Promises  and  Hopes, 
Who  mocking,  swear  the  Grave  takes  All  of 

us. 

CLXXXII 

Peace  to  thy  Soul !     It  is  not  thine  affair, 
Thee   and  thy  Conscience,   these  thine   only 

care; 

Art  Thou   to   Judge   and   settle   for  the 

World? 

Nay!     Each  in  time  will  answer — Here  or 

There. 

CLXXXI  1 1 

'Tis  not  for  Thee  to  portion  Praise  or  Blame, 
To  measure  Justice,  or  dispute  the  Claim; 
Thou  knowest  not  which  way  that  Pilgrim 

went, 

Thou  knowest  not  which  way  this  Pilgrim 

came! 
68 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CLXXXIV 

What  is  the  Sum  to  thee?     Canst  thou  not 

see 
That  all  the  Sorrow  and  the  Misery 

Of    these    vast    Multitudes    beneath    the 

Moon  — 

It  is  not  more  than  thine  own  Doom  —  to 

thee. 
CLXXXV 

The  Joy  and  Sorrow  of  a  single  Soul 

That  makes   the   Pilgrimage   and  pays  the 

Toll- 

It  is  nor  more  nor  less  than  All  Of  It, 
The  Tragedy  of  One  sums  up  the  Whole. 

CLXXXVI 

Grant  me,  O  Lord,  but  strength  mine  own  to 

bear, 

Give   me    the   Faith   that   will    not   brook 

Despair, 

Look  down  in  Mercy  on  my  frailties, 
My  sins  forgive,  and  take  my  dying  Prayer. 


•.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CLXXXVII 

Thou  Great  Physician  heal  me !  that  I  may 
Be  strong  in  Trust  to  live  my  little  day; 
That  I  may  tread  —  though  all  the  World 

may  mock  — 
Firm  in  the  Faith  on  thy  appointed  Way. 

CLXXXVIII 

For  Thou  dost  Live  and  Reign !     I  read  the 

Sign 
Writ  clear  o'er  All  in  characters  Divine; 

In  the  deep  pathos  of  our  Earthly  quest, 
Or  in  the  Stars  that  with  Thy  Glory  shine  — 

CLXXXIX 

I  know  the  Truth!     Yet  was  it  still  more 

clear 
In  blest  Compassion's  glance,  and  Pity's  tear; 

In  the  Soul-eloquence  of  Virtue's  voice 
And  in  her  mien  when  Death  was  drawing 

near. 
70 


A  Southern  Garden. 


cxc 

Aye !     On  sweet  Human  faces  have  I  read  — 
God  lives  in  Souls  by  Saintly  purpose  led, 

I've  seen  the  Light  reflected  from  Above 
Upon  the  face  of  such  when  Life  had  fled. 

cxci 

I've  read  it  in  a  Mother's  soft  caress, 
In  Love's  bright  eye  agleam  with  tenderness, 
And  in  the  smile  that  marks  the  Infant's 

dream, 
And  in  the  Faith  that  noble  Souls  profess. 

CXCII 

By  those  that  with  Unrighteousness  contend 
And  stand  undaunted  Virtue  to  defend, 
By    Angel    heart    in    Human    form    en 
shrined  — 
I  know  the  Soul  shall  unto  Him  ascend. 


•.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CXCIII 

By  those  that  from  on  High  their  Wisdom 

draw 

And  humbly  bend  their  Maker  to  adore, 
By  all  these  Things   I   read  the  mighty 

Truth  - 

God   Lives   and   Reigns,   Here,   Now,    and 

Evermore ! 


72 


CXCIV 

No  more  with  Doubt  beset  therefore  lament 
Thy  lot,  nor  rage  with  impious  discontent; 
Suffice  the  Master  knows,  and  of  His  Plan 
Thou  art  a  Part,  and  to  His  Purpose  bent. 

cxcv 

The  Seas  may  rise,  the  Earthquake  thunders 

roll, 

Old  Earth  be  drowned,  or  rent  from  pole  to 

pole, 

And   dreadful   Darkness   blot    Creation's 

face  — 

Yet  through  that  Darkness  One  shall  lead  my 

Soul! 

CXCVI 

"  No  lingering  Ages  of  decrepitude 
With  euthenasia  for  Earth's  Evil  brood," 

But  He  shall  come  in  Majesty  and  Wrath 
To  sift  the  Souls  of  Men  and  crush  Hell's 

feud! 

73 


•.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CXCVII 

u  His  Hand  Omnipotent  shall  rend  the  Clay 
And  push  the  Elements  aside,  that  they 
No  more  shall  stand  between  his  Face  and 

those 

Whom  He  shall  come  to  Judge  —  on  that 

Last  Day!" 
cxcvm 

But  if  You  still  deride  the  pious  Plan 
And    hold    the    worship    for    Mankind    is 

"  Man," 

Yet  would   I   point  to    Christ  upon   the 

Mount  — 

Holding  Him  peerless  since  the  World  be 
gan. 

CXCIX 

Let  Pedants  urge  their  Logic  to  explain 
That  Jesus  and  the  Prophets  lived  in  vain; 
Show  first  my  Soul  a  kinder  Creed  than  this 
Which  bursts  the  Grave  and  cleanses  from  all 

stain. 

74 


A  Southern  Garden. 


cc 

It  matters  not  that  Mockers  may  decry, 
And  worldly-Wise  the  Miracle  deny! 

The  Creed  of  Christ  by  noblest  Souls  pro 
fessed 
Is  Man's  supreme  Appeal  to  God  on  High. 

cci 

If  for  some  Purpose  'twas  by  God  decreed 
That  for  His  seeking  Man  should  make  a 

Creed, 

Then  He'll  fulfill  the  Hope  by  Man  pro 
posed 
When  on  His  Son  they  called  their  Souls  to 

lead, 
ecu 

Yet  many  strut  in  garbs  of  holiness 
Who  scorn  Christ's  Virgin  birth,  and  hold 

him  less 

Than  the  Messiah  sent!     How  fares  it 

then 

With  lesser  Miracles  they  still  confess? 
75 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


CCIII 

By  that  same  token  stand  they  not  forlorn  — 

Their  pious  Preachments  all  to  tatters  torn? 

Of  what  avail  to  Us  their  screeds   and 

creeds 
If  Christ  lived  all  in  vain  and  died  forsworn? 

cciv 

For  what  were  Life  if  that  One  Faith  be 

vain? 
A  dying  Flower  on  a  Desert  plain  — 

A  vast  Negation  'neath  a  Soulless  Sky  — 
A  dream  of  Heaven  none  may  hope  to  gain. 

ccv 

But  'tis  the  Miracle  they  cannot  brook! 
Yet  Miracles  there  be  where'er  we  look  — 
This  Life,  Man's  Quest,  the  Secret,  are  not 

these 
All  Miracles  writ  large  in  Nature's  book? 


76 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CCVI 

"  A  Legend  and  a  Myth,  man-made,"  ye  cry; 
Show  me  a  better  then  to  satisfy 

The   Soul's   Desire !     And  if  there  be  a 

God 
In  any  Heaven,  this  Myth  He'll  justify  1 

ccvn 

Though  other  Creeds  have  held  some  share 

of  Truth, 

Yet  have  they  died.     This  wears  Immortal 

youth, 

Summing  them  all  —  the  Fountain  of  all 

Good, 
Holding  alike  all  Men  in  Heaven's  Ruth. 

CCVIII 

Their  Voice  is  stilled,  their  Pride  lives  but  in 

Stone, 

Their  Shrines  are  shattered,  and  their  Tem 
ples  prone, 

77 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


The  old  Moon  mourns  their  Glory,  and  the 

Wind 

Wails  through  the  Wreckage  on  the  Desert 

strown. 

ccix 

Christ  lived  and  died !     And  God  will  justify 
The  Witnesses  that  stand  to  testify 

To  the  Messiah's  Mission  and  His  Truth! 
Man's  holiest  Hope  the  Lord  will  not  deny. 

ccx 

Not  mine  the   Faith  that  founders  on  the 

shoal 
Where  murky  waters  o'er  mud  marshes  roll; 

My  Bark  is  headed  for  the  surging  Sea, 
Its  prow  is  pointed  to  a  Starry  Goal! 

ccxi 

And  when  at  last  I  near  Death's  sombre  Vale, 

My  Prayer  shall  be  to  Him  who  will  not  fail 

My  need.     So  will  I  front  the  mortal  Dart 

With  level  glance  that  will  nor  dare  nor  quail. 

78 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CCXII 

Ah,  my  Beloved,  when  with  tearful  eye 
You  breathe  my  name,   or  hold  your  vigil 

nigh 

The    daisied    turf    'neath    where    I    lie 

adream  — 

Methinks  my  cold  dumb   Clay  would  hear 

your  sigh; 

CCXIII 

And  strive   to   work   once   more   the   olden 

spell 

Of  Love  within  your  heart,  and  burn  to  tell 
The   solemn   Secret   which   it  learned   at 

last, 

And    to    your    question    whisper  — "  All    is 

Well." 

CCXIV 

For  when  anear  the.  Poet's  starry  bed 
Comes  Life  and  Love  with  light  and  ling'ring 

tread, 

His  dreaming  Dust  would  thrill   to   list 

their  vows, 

And  joy  to  know  their  presence  overhead. 
79 


-.New  Rubaiyat  From 


ccxv 

Dust  unto  Dust !  yet  blessed  'tis  to  know  — 
That  with  Earth's  best  and  noblest  we  shall 

go; 

Saint,  Sage  and  Beauty,  dreaming  of  the 

Dawn 
And  God's  awak'ning  touch  upon  their  brow. 

ccxvi 

God  with  them  All!     My  homage  here  I 

pay 

Unto  Earth's  sacred  Genius  passed  away; 
And  with  Love's  Greetings  hail  the  Starry 

band 
That  shall  come  After  to  adorn  Life's  day. 


80 


A  Southern  Garden-. 


CCXVII 

O  brother-Poet,  of  the  TIME  TO  BE! 
Who  shall  in  turn  dispute  the  Mystery, 
Breathe  thou  a  Prayer  o'er  my  forgotten 

Clay, 

Deal   gently   with   my   Verse,    and   tell    of 

Me- 

CCXVIII 

When  unto  Death  Sin's  Penalty  I  paid, 
And  in  the  Dust  my  lifeless  Clay  was  laid, 
I   did  descend,   with  Trust  in   Christ  to 

Rise; 

Firm  in  that  Faith  I  fell  —  and  unafraid. 

Amen. 


81 


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PS         Viett  - 

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